French Macaron Troubleshooting
Let me tell you a short story of how I have hopelessly and defencelessly fell in love with the French Macaron..
Before studying pastry and bakery here in Singapore, I have always been fascinated with this mysterious confection. Let's just say, I have a thing for cookies. The classic chocolate chip always has and will have a special place in my sugar-coated heart. And so I considered the macaron as a "fancier" and "for-special-treat" type of confection. Almonds are now considered on the pricier side compared to regular flours. But the the curious food wanderer in me, of course, wanted to see for myself what really the sugary fuss is about. The science behind the macaron is as complex as human genetics. A slight tweak here and there can make the biggest difference in your finished product. And so, after months of delving into this beautiful craft, macaroning, today, I can say with all confidence, from the bottom of my heart, I love you, my sweet sweet, macaron. I really do.
When we had our french macaron class at pastry school, oh boy let me tell you, was it one of my favourite days of my life. The very next day, I went to TOTT Singapore and went ahead with my eyes closed, bought my very first Kitchenaid (Heavy Duty) with solely producing the best macaron in the whole entire universe in mind. The satisfaction of a perfect macaron batch is as close to nirvana. Like biting into the perfect chocolate bar and hearing angels sing.
And so, to make your human busy lives easier than my confection perfection obsessed life, I share you this troubleshooting tips and tricks that will save your valuable life!
Don't forget to check out my previous post for my recipe!
Watch this compilation of failed attempts and why it happened that caused sleepless nights. This is just scratching the surface! I had countless trials that ended up in the confection grave. Sad, sad times..
ENJOY!
Cracked
top oven heat is too strong
oven temperature is too high
under mixing batter / meringue
not aged egg whites
Flat
over mixed meringue / batter
batter will be too runny
Lumpy
under mixed batter
pan not tapped
air bubbles not popped with toothpick
almond meal too coarse
Not round / odd shape
even / warped pan
piping technique
reusing parchment
No "feet"
humidity
macarons not rested after piping
under mixed batter
macarons will be sticky
Uneven / bursting "feet"
bottom heat too strong
uneven / warped pan
too high oven temperature
"hot spots" in the oven
Thin / hollow shells
under mixed meringue / batter
over mixed meringue
batter will be too thick to pipe
Browning
oven temperature too high
"hot spots" in the oven
Start your macaroning!
Hungry and hungry,
Rosey
